A program of ‘classic’ music in park

To say Dwight Lenox and the Lenox Express sings and plays jazz would be a misnomer.  Jazz is about as diverse a music style as there is. What you will hear this Friday night from Dwight Lenox and his band will be songs you readily recognize: I call them classics!

Gershwin, Sinatra, Rawls, Lerner and Lowe, and Nat King Cole are just a few names that come to mind when you think of a Dwight Lenox concert.  Songs like “Summertime,” “I’ve Got Plenty of Nuttin’,” “Beyond the Sea,” “Lady Love,” and “Me and Mrs. Jones” are only but a few you might hear at one of his concerts. I guess you’ll just need to come to Fountain Park to see what’s on tap for the night.

One thing you can count on, though, is plenty of good music provided by the rich, cool, and smooth vocals of Lenox and backed by a band of piano, bass, drums, trumpet, trombone, sax and flute. I can only hope that the cool sounds of Lenox voice will make for a pleasant evening in the park.

Lenox and the Lenox Express have played all over the country, but are based in Columbus.  You can regularly hear Dwight singing at clubs throughout the Columbus area.  Dwight has even sung in the “Big House” with The Ohio Sate University Band at halftime of a Buckeyes game.  I believe local resident Eric Hurless was in the OSU band when Lenox sang with them.

The food vendor for the evening is the Van Wert County Historical Society. What a great Van Wert County treasure we can support by purchasing its food this Friday evening!  Plan on arriving in time to support them and have a good seat for the 7 p.m. concert.

I announced last Friday about a very special feature we are adding to our finale in Fountain Park on August 12.  As if Gary Puckett & the Union Gap were not enough, we have decided to add one more feature before we call it a night, a season and a summer in Fountain Park.  As a finale to our 10th season of music in Fountain Park, we are going to show the classic and beloved film, The Wizard of Oz in the park immediately following the concert. A company that provides huge outdoor screens (30 x 27 feet) will be on-site and can have the movie screen inflated in 45 seconds. The movie will be crisp, clear, and colorful, and the sound will be like none you have ever heard before through our performance speakers. It will be an experience for the entire family to enjoy.  Plan on sticking around following the concert as we celebrate the end of summer in Fountain Park. We will also preview the NPAC season to give everyone a taste of what’s coming in the fall.

Plan on joining in the fun as we close out the 10th season of Fountain Park Summer Music, as always, brought to you by the kind folks of The Van Wert County Foundation, in cooperation with the Van Wert Parks & Recreation Department.

FINÉ.